Audience Questions

Audience QuestionsHour 1

Ron wants to know how he can create an install disk for Windows 10 on a USB thumb drive. Leo says he can use the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool to do it. He should choose the pro option. Ron should remember that Windows 10 is assigned to his computer now, so he will only be able to use it on that particular computer and not another. Windows 10 is linked to his specific rig.

Another option is to create an image of his hard drive. That's like a snapshot of what the hard drive looks like, and then he can restore it immediately and have it just the way he had it.

Eric has heard that iCloud is going to require two factor authentication for third party apps. Is that true? Leo says it is, and it's a good idea. The problem is that not all apps have a two factor authentication scheme, so Apple has a work around by requiring an app specific password as well. Starting June 15th, if he doesn't have two factor enabled, he'll be forced to do it. From there, he'll have to re-login with a second unique one time password. It's also possible that some older third party apps will be broken by the change. This is the only way to push them into mordernizing for standard online security practices.

Audience QuestionsHour 2

Rita bought a subscription to Adobe Photoshop, but she doesn't want to renew it. Is there an alternative she can use that doesn't require a subscription? Leo says that Adobe Photoshop Elements will give her about 80% of everything Adobe Creative Cloud has. It's only about $80. For most people it's good enough and she doesn't have to renew it every year or month.

There are also free programs and apps that do it. Google Photos has a lot of those features, and there's also Gimp. There's also a Photoshop app that works online. It's in the Windows 10 store.

Todd needs an app that will allow him to backup text messages from his girlfriend's old Windows phone. Leo says that there's an app in the Windows Phone Store called Transfer My Data that will allow her to export those messages to the SD card slot on the phone. There's also an app called Message Backup. Then she can import them to an Android phone using apps in the Google Play Store.

Steve would like to have access to his email from another device. Leo says he'll want to make sure his email client is set to IMAP, if his provider supports it. Then he can leave the email on the server when he reads it from his device. He should also make sure his port settings are properly configured. Leo also recommends setting up his own Gmail account, and then have it go get his email from Cox. Then he can have it on the Gmail server, which is accessible everywhere. It's also better for spam.

Mike wants to know when he'll get the Windows 10 Creators Update. Leo says that Microsoft is taking its time with rolling it out, making sure that computers can support the update. To date, only 18% of Windows computers have been updated after a year. Like the Windows 10 update, it will notify him when it's ready for him to update and install. That's the future of updates now — it's a slow, gradual roll out.

There is an option to get it now and force the update, but Leo's done that and it's just asking for trouble. It's better to wait until Microsoft examines his system and then lets him know when it's ready to support it.

Audience QuestionsHour 3

Paul is wondering if the Eero router would give him greater security with his network based security cameras. Leo says that the most vulnerable items are those that are part of the so-called "internet of things" category because they are rarely updated for security. So if they get hacked, not only will the hackers have access to the cameras, but also the entire network. The Eero router has far greater security, because it's designed with internet of things devices in mind. But Leo says that we can also help by not buying devices that aren't updatable.

What about the Arlo? Leo says that Arlo is made by Netgear and that's a good brand. He should avoid the no-name clones, because they have no incentive to maintain security. The Ubiquity Edge Router X is another good one that is very affordable at $50 and it's extremely secure.

Joyce listens has a harder time listening to dialog on TV because everything else is louder. What can she do? Leo says shows are mixed for surround sound and if she doesn't have that, the spoken word can get overwhelmed by other sound and music. Some TVs and audio receivers have center channel settings that would allow her to turn up the center channel so she can hear it. Most TVs have that feature. If she doesn't have a center channel speaker, she should get one. It will help a lot.

John wants to stream his grandson's high school graduation to multiple TVs. Leo says that's a tough one because most DLNA systems are only one to one. He could get a Wavecom wireless TV transmitter and then put the receivers on each TV. He can also use Plex and a Roku or Apple TV on each box.

Brett is getting frustrated because he keeps getting robocalls. Leo says to check out NoMoRobo. It's a service that will block robo calls from telemarketers.

Another option is to use Google Voice as his main phone number, and have it route calls that he wants and ignore the rest. He can set up specific rules that will handle incoming calls for him, pass along calls from his contact list, and route the rest to voicemail. He can also set up rules to block blocked caller ID, set up curfews for phone calls, and more.

This Week in Tech News

Tired of the intrusion into his privacy, Leo decided to quit Facebook last night. Leo says that when Facebook users take quizes on Facebook, the quiz maker gets access to ALL your personal information, as well as the information of your friends - without THEIR consent. And Leo says Facebook refuses to do anything about it.

Even worse, while Facebook assures members that the information won't be used in violation of Facebook's privacy policy, a whistle blower from the company said that is exactly what happened with Caimbridge Analytica. When the story came out, Facebook quickly banned the company in an attempt to get ahead of the bad news. Facebook has also given users the option to delete their personal data without having to cancel their account.

But this was the last straw for Leo, and he's out of there. But should he leave Twitter and Google as well? Google is a lot harder.

This week, Leo got the Samsung Galaxy S9 and it's not only got one of the best cameras ever, but DxOMark says the screen is practically perfect in every way. Leo also says he's pleased that the fingerprint reader was finally put in the right place. But what's strange for him is that there's not much difference between the Galaxy S9 and the Note 8. Maybe a faster processor and slightly smaller, but they're practically the same.

Leo also got a new HP Envy X2, which is the first laptop to run on an ARM processor. But even then, it's still running on Windows 10S.. That means it only runs 32 bit programs and only from the Windows app store. It has 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, plus a microSD card slot. It also weighs a pound and a half and fantastic battery life. HP says 22 hours, which means about 11 hours in reality. But Leo says he's getting more like 15-16 hours. Amazing. And it has LTE, all you need to do is put in a Google Fi SIM and Bob's your uncle. But at $1000, it's not cheap. And Leo says it's really SLOW. Chrome is also really slow on it.
Leo's recommendation ... there's a lot to like, but he wouldn't recommend buying it.

Magic Leap has been a company that's been all hype and no action for years, despite all of the great demos they have on their website. Now the company says it's making a prototype that looks like welder's glasses for augmented reality. This means it would put virtual things on top of the real world, so you're not completely isolated like you would be with virtual reality. Magic Leap says it will release its system to developers sometime this year. It features glasses, a small Discman sized computer that can attach to your belt, and a controller.

Magic Leap just raised half a billion dollars more for this from Saudi Arabia. They got 502 million dollars in October, and have received more than 2.3 billion dollars in funding so far from a variety of investors.

With Ready Player One set to come out later this year, Leo says there are a ton of virtual reality exhibitions at the annual South by Southwest Interactive Festival this week in Austin. Leo also saw a mockup WestWorld outside of Austin. Tickets sold out in minutes.

According to a new study, the more outrageous fake news tweets you see on Twitter, the more likely it will be retweeted, while actual news only gets retweeted about 1/4 of the time. Leo says that this is driving many to give up the social media app altogether. And those who have stayed, Leo says it works as an outrage engine to rage at the machine.